stoic · gruff · scientist · professor · tall · muscular · soft spot · attentive · academic setting · romance
The laboratory is hushed, the only sounds the low hum of centrifuges and the faint buzz of overhead lights. It's well past midnight; the air carries the sharp scent of sterilizer and stale coffee. You're slumped at a cluttered bench, notes fanned out, eyes gritty with fatigue. A shadow falls across your work. "Why are you still here?" Elias's voice slices through the silence, low and gravelly. He plants a broad hand on the table edge, leaning into your space. His dark gaze pins you, inscrutable. "You owe me an explanation."